MAKING MILKING MODERN: AGRICULTURE SCIENCE AND THE AMERICAN DAIRY, 1890-1940 By Micah Aaron Rueber A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Department of History Mississippi State, Mississippi May 2010 Copyright by Micah Aaron Rueber 2010 MAKING MILKING MODERN: AGRICULTURE SCIENCE AND THE AMERICAN DAIRY, 1890-1940 By Micah Aaron Rueber Approved: ______________________________ ______________________________ Alan I Marcus Stephen Brain Professor of History Assistant Professor of History and Head of the Department of History (Committee Member) (Director of Dissertation) ______________________________ ______________________________ Amy Gangloff James C. Giesen Assistant Professor of History Assistant Professor of History (Committee Member) (Committee Member) ______________________________ ______________________________ Peter C. Messer Gary L. Myers Associate Professor of History Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of History Name: Micah Aaron Rueber Date of Degree: May 1, 2010 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: History Major Professor: Dr. Alan I Marcus Title of Study: MAKING MILKING MODERN: AGRICULTURE SCIENCE AND THE AMERICAN DAIRY, 1890-1940 Pages in Study: 316 Candidate for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the late nineteenth century most dairy farmers went about their work in much same manner as had their predecessors centuries earlier. However, by 1940 most farmers practiced recognizably modern dairying techniques. Use of mechanical milking machines was widespread and growing, farmers compounded rations by combining feeds that blended precise proportions of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins, and breeders, eager to maximize the influence of productive bloodlines, evaluated their animals with the use of scientific scorecards and employed intense breeding plans that relied on various forms of inbreeding in order to fix the desirable aspects of prized cattle. Yet the majority of these changes were instigated not by the dairy farmers who actually performed the tasks but by agricultural scientists working in the laboratories of the nation’s agricultural colleges and experiment stations. Agricultural science emerged in Germany in the 1840’s; Americans pursuing advanced degrees in Europe brought these ideas to the United States War and received an official imprimatur with the passage of the Hatch Act in 1892, which dedicated federal funds to the establishment and maintenance of agricultural experiment stations. The focus of this study is the work performed by these scientists in shaping the development of American dairy farms between 1890 and 1940. Researchers not only made scientific advances, such as the discovery of vitamins, that led to new methods of feeding and breeding dairy cattle but also invented and evaluated technological advances such as the Babcock Milk-fat test and mechanical milking machines that would revolutionize American dairying. This work contributes to our understanding of the emergence of the modern dairy farm by demonstrating that it was agricultural scientists, more so than farmers, who established the outlines of the modern dairy. They did so not only by adopting common techniques and methodologies that fostered communication and cooperation between and among researchers but by employing a number of rhetorical devices that broke down the barriers between laboratory and farm. While farmers enjoyed the benefits of scientific advances, they did so at the cost of their autonomy as scientists increasingly dictated what constituted modern dairying. Key words: dairy, cattle, milk, agricultural science, experiment stations DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to my parents, Bruce and Gloria Rueber, without whose encouragement, support, prayers, and love of Jersey cattle none of this would have happened. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I have to recognize my profound debt to Alan I Marcus, who took a chance on an unknown draft-pick out of Oregon. He has become both a mentor and a friend, has opened both his office and his home to me, and has patiently cajoled, encouraged, and exasperated me. Not only has he looked after me academically, but he has welcomed me into his life, and therefore my thanks go out not only to him but to Jean, Greg, Haley, Franklin (RIP) and Satan-Girl. If not for Alan I would never have moved to the South – which has had profound consequences, see below… Thanks next to the faculty of two proud land-grant institutions, to whom I owe more than I can fathom. Kudos especially to Amy Bix and Hamilton Cravens at Iowa State University and Jim Giesen, Amy Gangloff, and Stephen Brain here at MSU. I look forward to bumping into all y’all at conventions for decades to come. While academics are important, friendships are too, and I have made some life- long friends during the course of my studies. Hence, my buddies at Iowa State must be mentioned, especially Paul, Megan, and Knut – many thanks for putting up with a greenhorn. I wish you all the best. And while I was loath to leave good friends in Iowa, I have made plenty more in Mississippi: to Scott (my fellow academic-carpetbagger), Nathan, and Erinn go especial thanks. I must also acknowledge Jung, a fellow-traveler, whose fearless spirit has been an inspiration in its own peculiar way. iii I could never have foreseen the twists and turns that brought me to Mississippi, but my bride Holly is proof-positive that unintended consequences can be serendipitous. While both of our paths meandered, we managed to find each other, and her encouragement, patience, and love have played a big part in the happiness and success I have found. I love you, dear. Last, but not least, I have to acknowledge two friends, one old and one new. To Bro – my newly-acquired “uncle-in-law” – many thanks for conversations both shallow and deep. Finally, cuddles galore to Leeroy, my Norwegian forest-cat, who has been with me since the beginning and, as I come to an end, is still curled up within arms’ reach. Purr...purr… iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1 2. SAVING STEPHEN MOULTON BABCOCK: ECCENTRIC CHARACTER, ORTHODOX MEANS ........................................18 3. DAIRY SCIENTISTS SEARCH FOR DIRECTION .................................57 4. HENRY PRENTISS ARMSBY AND A NEW APPROACH TO FEEDING ......................................................................................85 5. HOW TO MEASURE SOMETHING NEW: DAIRY SCIENTISTS EVALUATE MILKING MACHINES ........................................121 6. BREEDING A BETTER COW ................................................................153 7. OF RODENTS AND RUMINANTS: DAIRY SCIENTISTS DISCOVER VITAMINS .............................................................182 8. VITAMINS AND MILK ...........................................................................215 9. BREEDING BY THE NUMBERS ...........................................................243 10. CONCLUSION .........................................................................................284 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................290 v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION On April 23, 2009, National Public Radio aired a segment about an eight-year old Hereford cow. The animal, named L1 Dominette 01449, lived on a ranch in eastern Montana, and had been the subject of intense scrutiny for some six years. The news piece related that an international team of scientists had, using DNA provided by Dominette, completely mapped the genome sequence of a bovine for the first time. Researchers interviewed for the piece enthused about the importance of their accomplishment; Harris Lewin, head of the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, claimed the findings revealed “the essence of bovinity.” Lewin believed the completion of the bovine genetic sequence offered radically new insights into and, ideally, control over, cattle breeding and feeding. Used in conjunction this knowledge would allow stock-raisers not only to breed cattle with genetically superior productive capacities but also to better feed these animals: beef cattle would produce more usable meat, and dairy cattle more milk, all while more efficiently converting feed into beef, milk, cheese, and other commercially valuable commodities.1 The print media also carried news of the discovery. Popular newspapers such as The New York Times reported the completion of the bovine genome sequence. So too 1 Jon Hamilton: “Cow Achieves Fame Through Her DNA,” NPR, April 23, 2009, transcript viewed at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103382511 on September 13, 2009. 1 did more specialized journals, including Science, which devoted several articles to the various implications of this breakthrough. Like the NPR segment, these pieces waxed enthusiastic about the possibility that this new knowledge might revolutionize both the dairy and the beef industries. The authors of the various news articles interviewed a variety of experts.